An American in Paris on The Big Sceen 2025

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS—Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron in Glorious Technicolor on the Big Screen at Jaffrey’s Park Theatre
 
Winner of 6 Oscars and ranked among the American Film Institute’s 100 greatest American movies of all time, An American in Paris is a glorious, Technicolor paean to the golden age of the Hollywood musical. An American in Paris will be shown on The Park Theatre’s Big Screen, Saturday, April 26, at 7pm.
 
Inspired by George Gershwin’s musical suite of the same title, the film, set in post-War Paris, is a delightful romantic romp with eye-popping set design paying homage to the great French painters, and a full-scale 17-minute ballet that showcases the dazzling, athletic artistry of dance legend Gene Kelly and the whimsical grace of Leslie Caron.
 
Gershwin’s jazz-infused orchestral piece titled An American in Paris was inspired by his own experiences in Paris in the 1920s, a time when many notable artists, such as Hemingway, Picasso and Fitzgerald were living and working there. The composition premiered in 1928 at Carnegie Hall in New York City and became one of Gershwin’s best-known pieces, performed by orchestras regularly throughout the 1930s and 1940s. The composition inspired the movie and its famous final dance sequence is set to it.
 
Gershwin died tragically of a brain tumor in 1938 at the age of just 37. Hollywood producer Arthur Freed bought the rights to Gershwin’s An American in Paris composition from his brother, Ira Gershwin for $158,750, after seeing it performed in concert. Ira insisted that the piece be surrounded exclusively by Gershwin compositions and penned the now familiar movie lyrics to his brother’s standards such as “I Got Rhythm,” “Our Love Is Here to Stay” and “S Wonderful.”
 
Gene Kelly not only played the lead role of Jerry, the soldier-turned-painter who calls Paris home after World War II—he also choreographed the film and helped with casting. Kelly earned an honorary Academy Award as an “appreciation of his versatility as an actor, singer, director and dancer, and specifically for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film.” Kelly was one of the first superstar choreographers to incorporate what, at the time was considered “lowbrow, pop-culture” forms of dance such as tap and jitterbug into his routines.
 
Gene Kelly discovered co-star Leslie Caron after seeing her in Paris’s Ballet des Champs Elysées. The 17-year-old ballet dancer had been so weakened by wartime malnutrition that she could only work on alternate days and so the movie’s schedule adapted accordingly. 
Many have critiqued the film for its corny storyline and lack of chemistry between the main love interests (a good thing considering their age difference). Yet, no one can argue the film’s stunning dance sequences, incredible music and visual splendor. Oh, and Oscar Levant, who plays Jerry’s neighbor Adam, is just hilarious.
 
Tickets for AN AMERICAN IN PARIS are $10, $9. Purchase in advance by going to theparktheatre.org or by calling the box office (603) 532-8888. You can buy at the door as well. Doors open at 6pm.
The Park Theatre performing arts center is located at 19 Main Street in downtown Jaffrey, New Hampshire.